Rail and method of assembling the same



' y 3, 9 R FAREES ET AL 3 9 RAIL AND METHOD OF ASSEMBLING THE SAME Filed Jan. 1'7, 1931 2 J3 6 20 J2 1 X57 FIc- .11 f 1 5 J2 19 J1 5a Z5 1 5 y K m 1 3g; M fie W1 TNESSES INVENTOR:

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Patented May 3, 1932 rrics PATEN ROBERT FARIES, OF ST. DAVIDS, AND CHARLES D. YOUNG, F HAVERIEORD,

PENNSYLVANIA RAIL AND METHOD OF ASSEMBLING THE SAME Application filed January 17, 1931. Serial No. 508,448.

This invention relates to rails and methods of assembling rails in making up sections of railway track. More particularly, the invention is characterized by the provision of a compound rail comprising an upper or wear section and a lower or base section, the two sections being formed to interlock with each other to effect a rigid serviceable construction, and the sections being adapted to 1 be separated so that when the upper section has become worn it may be replaced, and the lower section, which comprises the bulk of the metal, may be used indefinitely.

The primary object of the invention is to reduce the cost of maintenance of railway track by providing a renewable rail head of superior wearing qualities.

Another object of the invention is to provide a rail construction with a continuous tread, thus eliminating track noises caused by the presence of open joints and overcoming many other difliculties incident to the'use of one-piece rails, especially those resulting from pounding and vibration at the rail ends.

Other specific objects and advantages characterizing our invention will become more fully apparent from the description hereinafter of one embodiment or example of the invention and several modifications thereof, the description having reference to the accompanying drawings, whereof: v

Fig. I is a plan view of a section of railway track with a portion of the rail broken away to condense the illustration.

Fig. II is a side elevation of the same.

Fig. III is a cross-section of a rail taken as indicated by the lines IIIIII of Fig. I.

Fig. IV is an enlarged cross-section show- 40 ing a modification of the manner in which the upper and lower sections of the rail are assembled together: and,

Fig. V is a view similar to Fig. IV showing an additional modification.

In the drawings there is shown a compound rail mounted on ties 28 comprising a lower or base section'l, and an upper or wear section 2. With particular'reference to Fig. III, it will be seen that the base section 1 is provided with flanges 3 of customary form. a

web portion 4, and an expandedhead portion 5. The base section 1 is preferably made of openhearth carbon steel, whereas the wear section 2 is preferably made of high grade alloy steel, such as manganese steel. On the head portion 5 of the base section 1 I there is provided at one side an upstanding shoulder 6, on the inner side of which there is a recess 7 within which a tongue 8 of the wear section 2 is accommodated. At the gauge side of the head portion 5 of the base section 1 an additional shoulder 9 is provided ,'and beneath this shoulder there is a recess 10. The shoulders 6 and 9 are arranged in stepped formation with a flat surface 11 extending therebetween. On the wear section 2 there is a depending leg 12 formed at its bottom end with a tongue 18 which is adapted to be accommodated within the recess 10 of the base section 1. Beyond that portion of the longitudinally extending groove 14 of the base section 1 within which the leg 12 of the wear section 2 is'accommodated, there is an upstanding lug 15. The lug 15, which is at the gauge side ofthe rail is sufficiently below the'top surface ofthe wear section 2 as not to interfere with the flanges of passing wheels even after considerable wear has taken place.

The wear section 2 is assembled upon the base section 1 by sliding it laterally to the position shown in the drawings in which relative movement between the sections in a vertical direction is restrained by reason of the engagement of the tongues 8 and 13 of the wear section 2 within the recesses 7 and 10 beneath the shoulders 6 and 9 of the base section 1. In the space between the depending leg 12 of the wear section 2 and the upstanding lug 15 of the base section 1 a retaining'key 16 is interposed. This key is preferably made in the form of a bar of soft steel of rectangular section, and after insertion it is spot welded as indicated at-17 at intervals of its length, say every eight feet. When the retaining key 16 has been inserted, it serves as an abutment preventing lateral displacement of the wear section 2, and accordingly this section, which is also locked against vertical movement, is eifectively secured to the base sect-ion 1. The bottom surface of the wear section 2 is preferably concaved slightly, as shown at 18, to prevent a center bound condition arising between the two constituent parts of the rail.

After the sections 1 and 2 of the rail have been assembled in the manner described, the upper or wear section 2 may be replaced by first removing the retaining key 16. The removal of the retaining key 16 may be accomplished by cutting along the areas where the key has been spot welded to the base section 1.

It will be noted that in assembling the sections of the rail, the joints between adjoining ends of wear sections 1 are staggered with respect to the oints between adjoining ends of base sections 1, and the joints between the wear sections are preferably located at the centers of the base sections.

As shown in Figs. I and III, the wear sections 2 are provided with lateral offset portions 19. In the example illustrated, these ofisets are provided at the ends of the wear sections, though they may, obviously be provided at other regions, and they engage within correspondingly formed offsets 20 at the side portion of the base section 1. The formation of lateral offset-s in this manner prevents relative longitudinal movement between the wear sections 2 and the base sections 1. Furthermore, the ends of adjoining wear sections 2 are welded together as indicated at 21 so that there is formed a continuous tread for the length of track. Between the ends of adjoining base sections 1 clearance is provided to take care of expansion and contraction incident to temperature changes, and the base sections are joined by joint bars 22. Before assembling the wear sections 2 upon the base sections 1 the contiguous surfaces of these latter sections are preferably coated with heavy graphitic grease which prevents the sections from rust ing together.

The described arrangement in which the removable wear sections form a continuous tread and the supporting base sections are interrupted at intervals and joined together by joint bars which allow expansion and contraction, and in which the continuous wear sections are anchored by means of lateral oil'- sets to the side portions of the base sections, provides a construction in which the stresses due to expansion and contraction in the continuous wear sections are controlled. Such stresses as arise in the wear'sections, which are bodies ofrelatively small. cross sectional area confined and constrained against move ment in longitudinal, lateral and vertical directions, are not of snflicient volume to result in a distortion of the heavier base members which are of relatively large cross-sectional area, laterally stiffened and reinforced by a substantial substructure. Inasmuch as the shoulder 6 at the top of the base section 1 extends upward to embrace the wear section to a point near its wearing surface, there is a relatively high moment of inertia in the base section, and ample resistance is offered to side thrust.

A. somewhat modified form of retaining key is shown in Fig. IV. In this instance the depending leg 12 of the wear section 2 is longitudinally notched at 23 opposite the upstanding lug 15. The retaining key 16a, which is made of soft steel, is forced into the space between the lug 15 and the notch 23 by means of tools applying pressure to the key at intervals of its length. The key 16a is thus deformed from its normal shape and caused to assume a cross-sectional shape substantially in the form of a diamond with an edge 2-l caught in the notch 23 of thedepending leg 12 of the wear section 2. This looks the wear section 2 securely to thebase section 1. To remove the retaining key 16a, it is necessary to gouge out from its central top portion by means of suitable cutting tools enough metal to permit the key to be lifted out of the groove 14. The wear section 2 may then be renewed without in any way disturbing the base section 1.

An additional modification is shown in Fig. V. 12 of the wear section 2 is notched at 23 in the manner described above, but a different type of retaining key is employed. The key 16?) is made of spring steel bent to form a hollow square in section. The resilience of the metal causes the sides 25 and 26 to spread apart with the top of the key forced into the notch 23 and held thereby against dislodgement. WVhen it is desired to renew the wear section of the rail, the sides 25 and 26 of the 1 key 166 are pinched together by inserting tools within the perforations 27 at the top of the key, and the key is thus freed from the notch 28 and readily removed. Irrespective of the type of retaining key used, it will be noted that the two sections of the rail are firmly locked together in such manner that there is no danger of their separating as the result of vibration or long use; In contrast with the commonly used T-form rail in which the head portion is integral with the base, the compound rail of this invention has another important advantage in that it reduces greatly the hazard of accidents caused by the breaking of either member, as in the event of a break in the upper 01' lower section, these sections being supported by each other are retained in place.

From the above description it will be apparent that this invention in efiect provides a continuous rail, for the ends of the wear sections are caused to abut one upon another and are preferably integrally united by welding. Such expansion and contraction as may occur in the base sections is taken careof at In this instance, the depending leg the ends of these members by the use of expansion joints and these joints are located centrally of the wear sections. In addition to the obvious advantages of reduced track noises and the elimination of pounding at rail ends, the welded joints of the wear sections of the rail make it unnecessary to illstall the usual rail bonds such as customarily used to prevent interruption in the passage of electric current where rails are separated by air gaps.

While we have described our invention in some detail and with reference to a specific embodiment thereof and several contemplated modifications, it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form of the structure described without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the claims hereto annexed. For example, the form of joint selected for interlocking the upper and lower sections of the rails admits of obvious variations and the type of retaining key or keys used for holding the sections together admits of a wide range of selection.

Having thus described our invention, we claim:

1. A rail having a compound head comprising upper and lower sections, said lower section having grooved shoulders arranged in stepped formation from one side to the other, and said upper section having laterally extending tongues adapted to fit within said grooves and to restrain relative vertical movement between said sections, and a longitudinal key welded to said lower section and adapted to serve as an abutment restraining relative lateral movement between said sections.

'2, A rail having a compound head comprising upper and lower interlocking sections locked against relative vertical and lateral displacement, said lower section having a shoulder formed with a laterally ofiset region, and said upper section having a correspondingly offset region whereby relative longitudinal movement between said upper and lower sections is prevented.

A rail comprising upper and lower sections formed with interlocking surfaces restraining separation of the sections in a vertical direction, said lower section having an upstanding lug extending longitudinally therealong, and said upper section being longitudi ally notched opposite said lug, and a soft metal key interposed between said lug of the lower section and the notched portion of the upper section, said key serving to restrain separation of the sections in a lateral direction.

4. A rail comprising upper and lower sections formed with interlocking surfaces restraining separation of the sections in a vertical direction, said lower section having an upstanding lug extending longitudinally therealong and a groove adjacent to said lug,

and said upper section having a depending leg adapted to rest within the groove of the lower section, said leg being longitudinally notched opposite the lug aforesaid, and a soft metal key interposed between said lug of the lower section and said notched leg of the upper section whereby relative lateral movement between the sections is restrained.

5. A rail comprising upper and lower sections formed with interlocking surfaces restraining seperation of the sections in a vertical direction, said lower section having an upstanding lug extending longitudinally therealong and said upper section being longitudinally notched opposite said lug, and a key in the form of a spring interposed be tween said lug on the lower section and the notched portion of the upper section, said key serving to restrain separation of the sections ina lateral direction.

6. A rail comprising upper and lower sections formed with interlocking surfaces restraining separation of the sections in a vertical direction, said lower section having an upstanding lug extending longitudinally therealong and a groove adjacent to said lug, and said upper section having a depending leg adapted to rest within the groove of the lower section, said leg being longitudinally notched opposite the lug aforesaid, and a key in the form of a spring interposed between said lug of the lower section and said notched leg of the upper section whereby relative lateral movement between the sections is restrained.

7. A rail having a compound head comprising upper and lower sections, said lower section having grooved shoulders arranged in stepped formation from one side to the other, and said upper section having laterally extending tongues adapted to fit within said grooves and to restrain relative vertical movement between said sections, and a key fitting between said sections and restraining relative lateral movement therebetween.

8. A rail having a compound head comprising upper and lower sections, said lower section having a grooved shoulder at one side thereof embracing the upper section near its wearing surface, and an additional grooved shoulder at the opposite side substantially below the first grooved shoulder, and said upper section having laterally extending tongues adapted to fit within said grooves and to restrain vertical movement between said sections, and a key fitting between opposite formations on said upper and lower sections restraining relative lateral movement therebetween. g

9. A rail having a compound head comprising upper and lower sections, said lower section having a grooved shoulder opposite the gauge side embracing the upper section near its wearing surface, and an additional grooved shoulder at the gauge side substantially below the first shoulder, and said upper section having lateral extensions fitting within said grooves to restrain vertical move- 7 ment between said sections, and a key fitting 5 between a formation on said lower section opposite the grooved shoulder at the gauge side thereof and the portion of the upper section engaging the latter shoulder, whereby I relative lateral movement between said sec- 10 tions is prevented.

10. A rail having a compound head comprising upper and lower sect-ions, said lower section having a grooved shoulder opposite the gauge side embracing the upper section near its wearing surface, and an additional grooved shoulder at the gauge side substantially below the first shouldenand said up per section having a depending leg at the gauge side with a laterally extending tongue thereon and an additional laterally extending tongue at the opposite side, said tongues fitting within said grooves to restrainvertical movement between said sections, and a key fitting between a formation on said lower section and the depending leg of the upper section, whereby relative lateral movement between said sections is prevented.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto signed our names at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this 17th day of January, 1931.

ROBERT FARIES. CHARLES D. YOUNG. 

